Why You Need to Market Your Small Business Online

May 21, 2014 |
By
Margret Palma

Did you know that 93% of all online experiences begin with a search engine?
Or, how about the fact that nearly 60% of consumers use Google monthly
to find a local small business? The statistics simply don't lie: if
you can't be found online, you are losing out on a huge share of potential
customers.

In today's market, it is increasingly difficult for small businesses
to thrive. When large corporations have all of the funds and necessary
resources to advertise and reach a wide audience, it can make it nearly
impossible for local businesses to compete. This is where online marketing
comes into play.

One of the most effective ways for small businesses to effectively market
themselves
is through the use of SEO, SEM, and other smart online marketing techniques.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Put into its simplest terms, SEO refers to a group of practices used to
help websites achieve better visibility in search engines such as Google,
Yahoo, and Bing through "natural" or "organic" search
results. Although this seems fairly simple on the surface, search engines
follow a very particular algorithm to determine how search results are
listed. Effective SEO can improve your rankings and ultimately increase traffic.

The benefits of having effective SEO content include:

Increased online visibility & ranking in search engines

More qualified traffic being driven to your business

Content that is more user-friendly & easier to read

Increased presence on social media websites

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

While some marketing companies will tout SEO as the be-all and end-all,
it is much smarter to take a holistic approach to your online marketing with
SEOand SEM in tandem. While SEO focuses on the natural rankings in search engines,
SEM focuses on what is known as paid advertising.

SEM gives the business more control over what keywords they would like
to appear for, what geographic locations they want to target, and even
when they want their ads to appear. It is targeted, focused, and can be
used to drive highly qualified customers to your website. By using both
SEO tactics and SEM, you can widen your reach to target all potential
customers online.

Localize Your Internet Marketing

With the use of online marketing (such as SEO and SEM), a small business
can more easily reach their targeted local markets. Through effective
marketing practices, you can easily increase the traffic to your business,
which allows small businesses to compete with large corporations online.

Internet marketing can help small businesses achieve the following benefits:

Find new customers

Explore various markets

Assist with company growth

Achieve greater company credibility

The use of online marketing creates endless possibilities for businesses
of all sizes. In fact, it is one of the best long-term investments that
a business can make.